Zac Posen to Design New Uniforms for Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines is partnering with designer Zac Posen on sleek, stylish new uniforms for its flight attendants and in-airport personnel. The designer, who has dressed Natalie Portman, Gwyneth Paltrow, and First Lady Michelle Obama, and appeared as a judge on Project Runway, makes sense as a partner for this distinctly American airline. Previously, the brand worked with another quintessentially American designer, Kate Spade, on uniforms for its now-defunct Song brand.

"I always wanted to work with an airline," Posen told Condé Nast Traveler. "It combines a lot of different skills of mine, and Delta has been a leader, and I hope to make them look stylish."

The new looks won't arrive until 2018, so until then Posen will interact with some of Delta's workers to get a sense of what employees both above and below the wing need and want from their uniforms. "Form and function are key," he said. "I'm meeting with all different people throughout the company, seeing what their needs and desires are, their fantasies, their neruoses. The more information I have and the more interaction, the greater design I can give, with the most style, the most function. It's [also] a great opportunity for me to do men's[wear], which I do not have within my line."

A handful of pilots, flight attendants, and guest service teammates met with the Banana Republic designers to make suggestions for the uniforms. "The challenge in designing airline uniforms is to constantly keep in mind that while each piece should be fashionable, functionality and comfort are equally important," says Banana Republic's creative director, Simon Kneen.

One big complaint from the crew: Button popping. "The old uniforms didn’t have enough give," says Doreen Lawrence, Virgin America's director of in-flight servcies, and a former flight attendant. "We help customers with their bags, but when you reached up, your shirt was always coming out of your skirt or your pants." The new designs have bigger armholes so flight attendants can stretch above the seats more easily.

Another side effect of the old uniforms: Those crisp white shirts turned yellow or gray after too many washes, so they've been swapped for these light gray versions with red piping.

The designers streamlined the skirts and did away with some pesky, decorative zippers. "The old skirt was a great look with three zippers, but the zippers snagged your nylons and the material didn’t give," Lawrence says. "When you fly your body tends to bloat. You need a material that gives a little bit."

Pilots requested more pocket space. "They wanted the speical top-entry pockets to hold their pens and passports," Lawrence says. "I was a little surprised by that."

Virgin America supplies each crew member with four tops and three bottoms, but the more fabulous, optional items, such as this leather jacket, cost extra.

Of course, the partnership has a retail plug. Though you can't buy any of the flight crew pieces (TSA wouldn't like you impersonating a pilot after all), you can buy a few classic Banana Republic items while in-flight—such as this women's trenchcoat, for $198, beginning August 7.

That collaboration between Posen and Delta employees has already begun. Today, Delta organized an event in New York City to make a formal announcement to its employees, many of whom cheered and stood at the sound of Posen's name. At the event, Delta employees were asked about what they'd love to see in their uniforms, and their handwritten responses were pinned onto a a large "We Are Delta" bulletin board, pictured below. Some of the suggestions included "The 'WOW' Factor!", "empowered," "classy and stylish," and "A lot of Red!" Delta also has an existing "uniform committee" that takes comments and feedback from staff around the world; that committee will work with Posen's team.

Posen's designs will clothe about 30,000 employees, though this isn't the first time a high-end fashion designer has outfitted an airline. In the early 2000s, Julien Macdonald designed uniforms for British Airways, while Christian Lacroix did the honors for Air France. And just last year, Virgin Atlantic brought in edgy British designer Vivienne Westwood to design its new cabin crew uniforms. Westwood, a devoted environmentalist, created looks in Virgin's signature red color out of a polyester blend made partly from recycled plastic.